


Bad Girl Shenanigans

by d00dle2013



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: College Roommates AU, F/F, Getting Together, Net2Exchange, Oh man this is gay, This thing took on a life of it's own, some minor injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 12:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11691195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d00dle2013/pseuds/d00dle2013
Summary: There were 6 days that year that both Jemma and Daisy can name as being days when their friendship moved forward, 6 days that brought them to where they are now. College Roommate AU.





	Bad Girl Shenanigans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JackEPeace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackEPeace/gifts).



Bad Girl Shenanigans

 

**There were 6 days that year that both Jemma and Daisy can name as being days when their friendship moved forward, 6 days that brought them to where they are now. College Roommate AU.**

 

 1.  ** **Meetings****

The dorm room was small, but, all things considered, it wasn't the worst place that Daisy had called home. Daisy stood in the doorway and glanced around, taking it in. Directly in front of her, just past the open door,  was the foot of a twin sized bed, raised up on chest of four drawers. A tall wardrobe style closet sat at the head of the bed, facing to the side for easy access. An identical set up of a bed and a wardrobe was separated from the other bed and wardrobe with a three foot wide walkway leading to a large window on the far wall, complete with an air conditioning unit. Daisy looked directly to the right to see two small desks separated by a small mini fridge. The room was small, but Daisy could make due with much less.

 Phil Coulson, Daisy’s adoptive father, came in behind her with a rolling cart with her few boxes stacked on top of the cart. He smiled, “This looks nice Sk-Daisy!”

 Daisy stepped sideways into the desk area and nodded, fidgeting with the zipper on her laptop bag. “Yeah, it’ll be great,” She mused, setting her bag down on the nearest desk and trying to ignore Phil’s almost slip up.

 “Which side do you want?” Phil put his hands on his hips and looked between the two mirrored sides of the room.

“Uhh, the left side,” Daisy countered, pointing toward the set nearest the door. She could already see herself walking right in the door and jumping over the footboard into her bed. 

Phil smiled, “I thought you might like that one. Right through the door and onto the bed, huh?” Daisy giggled, her dad knew her well. 

Phil pulled the cart into the room and nudged the boxes onto the floor. “I’m going to go give the cart back to the nice ROTC boys outside, and get your hangables, that okay?” Daisy nodded at him and looked around the room again, slightly overwhelmed. Phil disappeared around the corner with the cart and Daisy was left alone. She sat down on the desk chair and glanced at her phone. She supposed that she should be used to moving around by now, after the 13 years she spent between the orphanage and foster homes, but the last 5 years spent with Phil had softened her to the overwhelming experience of moving everything she had.

Phil stumbled back into the room with an exasperated huff, his arms overflowing with hanging clothing, trailing a few garments that had fallen out of his hands. Daisy snapped her head up and laughed at her dad. “Let me help!” She called, taking some of the flannel shirts from his hands. Phil smiled warmly and passed the garments wordlessly. He crossed the room with Daisy and they hung the shirts in her wardrobe. 

“You can probably put the plastic tubs here in the bottom of your closet, there should be enough room.” Phil motioned to the bottom of the wardrobe and Daisy nodded at his words. 

“Good idea.” 

Phil placed his hand on Daisy’s shoulder, and she turned to look him in the face. “You okay, kiddo?” He asked softly.

Daisy nodded, “Just overwhelmed.” She fidgeted with the bottom of her shirt.

“I know, I can make your bed for you before I head home? Will that help a little?” Phil asked her.  Daisy nodded. It wasn’t that she wasn’t completely capable of doing it herself, but she knew that Phil liked to do little things for her, things that made her comfortable, for which she was eternally grateful. Phil opened the nearest large plastic container to locate Daisy’s bedding. He pulled out the blue sheets and cotton blanket and set to work.

Daisy watched him tuck the sheets and blankets onto the navy blue mattress, feeling slightly useless.

“Here you are!” Daisy jumped when an unfamiliar voice sounded at her doorway. She turned around to see an attractive man standing in the doorway, probably a few years her senior, holding her favorite memento from her first vacation with Phil, a hula dancer complete with a grass skirt. “You dropped this in the hallway a few minutes ago, but I didn’t see where you went,” He smiled kindly and handed Daisy the hula doll. Daisy smiled shyly and took the doll from him. He held out his hand, “I’m Grant Ward.” 

Daisy reached out and shook his hand, “Daisy Coulson, thanks for bringing this back.”

Grant smiled kindly, “If you need anything, Daisy, I actually live 2 doors down from you, through the door between the guys and girls hallways.  Feel free to come see me.” He ducked back out of the door with a grin and a wink

Phil chuckled from behind Daisy, “You haven't even been here an hour and you’re already charming the local wildlife.” Daisy shrugged, watching her dad pull the comforter over the pillows on her bed.

“It’s a gift,” She muttered, pushing her long hair back behind her ear. Phil chuckled. 

“Do you need me to help you unpack anything? Or do you want me to stay until your roommate gets here?” He asked, motioning to the rest of the room.

Daisy shook her head, “No, I think I can handle it. It’s kind of a long drive home. I don't want you to have to stay up too late.”

Phil crossed the few feet to Daisy and wrapped her in his arms. “Alright,” He said, “I can tell when I'm not wanted. I’ll leave to you to it. Classes start Monday right?” 

Daisy nodded against his chest. Her eyes felt misty. “Yeah, I have orientation activities tomorrow, then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get acclimated,” She muttered. Phil kissed the top of her head.

“It’s only an hour and a half drive, so if you want to come home, just give me a call, a text, smoke signals, anything. I’ll be here.” Phil smiled at his daughter, wiping his eye. “It sure has been quite a road getting here, hasn’t it kid?”

Daisy nodded and squeezed her dad again, “Yeah, it really has. Thank you. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

Phil pulled away and stepped out the door. He stopped to look at Daisy and smiled. “I love you, Daisy.” 

“I love you, too, Phil.”

He waved and shut the door behind him. 

Daisy flopped down on her bed and let her tears fall. 

*

About an hour later, long after Daisy’s tears had dried, the door to the dorm room came open again. Daisy looked up from her spot at her desk.  “Here we are, I met your room mate earlier, she’s probably still in here!” 

Grant Ward entered the door to the dorm room, pushing a cart filled with someone’s, presumably Daisy’s roommate's, belongings. Daisy gave a little wave of hello, and focused on the girl that walked in behind him.

Daisy tried to keep her cool as she gave her new roommate the once over she was well dressed in a pink collared shirt that stopped at her elbows and dark pants, and Daisy felt incredibly underdressed in her jeans, hooded sweatshirt, and tennis shoes, even just in the dorm room. 

“Hi, I’m Jemma Simmons,” The pretty girl said as she dropped her large red suitcase and extended her hand. Daisy was slightly startled by her thick British accent.

“Daisy Coulson, Are you British?”  Daisy blurted out in a rush.

Jemma laughed, it was a beautiful sound. “Yes. I’m from Ashburn, Devon.” At Daisy’s confused look, Jemma chuckled again. “It’s in Southwest England,” She clarified.

Daisy blushed a little, “Sorry, my geography isn’t all that great.” 

“Oh it’s no problem, my United States geography is probably just as bad as yours is for English geography!” Jemma smiled again and Daisy felt the strange murmur of attraction, but she pushed it away, she’d deal with that later. 

Grant finished unloading Jemma's luggage and boxes from the cart and pushed it back to the door.

He winked at Daisy and paused to hand her a slip of paper. “Give me a call sometime,” he said confidently, and he slipped out the door. Daisy put the slip in her pocket, she would deal with that later.

Jemma raised an eyebrow at Daisy. “What was that about?” She asked. 

Daisy shrugged, “No idea.” 

“Well when I told the person at the front desk the room number, that guy seemed very insistent on him being the one help me take my luggage up here, so there’s that,” Jemma mused with a shrug. She set her suitcase on the bed and glanced around the room.

Daisy chuckled and shook her head, “I guess that means he's interested?”

Jemma shrugged in return. “I suppose, I usually miss important things like that,” She said. 

Daisy nodded in agreement. “Same here!” 

Jemma took another glance around the room. “Do you want to take a break from unpacking to grab a bite to eat? I’m starving!” 

Daisy looked around at the enormous amount of unpacking she was currently trying to avoid and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please!”

Jemma’s face lit up, “Okay! I think the dining hall is open tonight! Let’s go check that out?”

Daisy nodded in agreement, “Okay! I haven't been up there at all yet.” 

Jemma smiled, “Sounds good to me!” 

*

The main dining area at the school was absolutely overwhelming to Daisy. 

As she entered the door, she could see that the cafeteria was divided into sections. A wood fire pizza stove sat on the far side of the cafeteria from the door, next to an area that seemed to be a grill, and next to that section looked to be a general “diner” style food. Two self serve salad bars finished off the Daisy stood just past the entrance and gaped at the surrounding options. 

Jemma noticed immediately. “You alright, Daisy?” She asked softly, placing her hand on Daisy’s arm. 

Daisy nodded, her face heating up in embarrassment. Shouldn’t she be able to handle the chaos of a cafeteria by now? “Yeah, there’s just too many choices.” 

Jemma smiled warmly and took Daisy’s hand to pull her towards an empty table. “It’s alright,” she said, “I have a friend that gets overwhelmed when there’s too many choices as well. Let’s make it less. Umm,” Jemma looked around at the people eating in the large cafeteria and quickly picked out two distinct dinners most commonly on the plates. “Pizza, or roast beef dinner?” 

Daisy took a deep breath, thankful for Jemma’s easy help without judgement. “Roast beef sounds good, where’s that line?”

Jemma pointed towards the hot station on the far side of the cafeteria. “Let’s go together?” She proposed. Daisy nodded once and they silently went over to the line to get food. Daisy made it back to the table first, after getting a drink from the nearby station. 

Jemma sat down back across from Daisy and started eating her food in silence. 

Jemma broke the silence first, “So what brings you to university here, Daisy? What are you studying?” She asked kindly, cutting some of her food to take a bite. 

“My mind, and my dad, said ‘college’ but my heart said ‘isolated sheep farmer in Iceland’ so here I am, getting a degree in computer science and programming.” Daisy quipped. “What about you?” 

Jemma chuckled at her new friend. “Well I just finished my undergraduate in Biological chemistry in May, and I'm starting my doctorate in biological chemistry here,” Jemma responded in a matter of fact tone. 

Daisy’s eyes bugged out of her head. “Wait, how old are you?” She asked, her fork freezing in the air.

‘“I'm 18, I turn 19 September 11th this year. I lived with Mum and Dad during my university studies, I was only 15 when I started studying at the university level. But now that I’m studying so far away from home, and the lab doesn’t pay all that much, so I couldn’t comfortable afford and apartment...” Jemma trailed off and Daisy stared at her roommate in shock, caught off guard at the level of intelligence that her new roommate showed. Jemma picked gently at her food, rolling the peas around on her plate. “So I’m staying in the dorms for now.” 

Daisy nodded. “I just didn’t know that graduate students really ever lived in dorms,” she relayed through a bite of potatoes. 

“My advisor, Dr. Hall, wanted me here so badly that he helped make an exception for me. It’s mostly due to my age, but I’m a special case,” Jemma continued. “That doesn’t bother you does it?”

Daisy jumped a little, dropping her fork with a clang. “Oh no! Not at all. I'm just curious. And I, uh, tend to just blurt things out sometimes. I'm sorry.” 

Jemma smiled warmly, “Okay, I'm just making sure. I’ve actually been quite nervous about living with someone my own age, I've never really gotten on well with people my own age. Except for Fitz, my best friend.”

“Oh, is she here too?” Daisy inquired. Jemma shook her head.

“No, he's in Scotland studying for his doctorate in engineering. He got into this incredible fellowship for artificial intelligence and robotics with Dr Holden Radcliffe, and couldn't turn it down.” Jemma trailed off sadly. “I miss him already. We went to the same university, and being the youngest people there, we were put together for many classes and projects. This is the first time we’ve been apart in 4 years,” Jemma said softly, pushing the food around on her plate.

Daisy went back to eating her potatoes, unsure of what to say. She  looked back at her new friend. “So what classes are you taking this semester? I've got calculus, intro to programming, some freshman seminar, and English Composition,” Daisy said easily.

Jemma held up a finger and swallowed her bite of food.  “I’m taking one course in fluid mechanics, teaching 2 sections of general chemistry lab, and working in the research lab.” 

Daisy nodded, “Well, sounds like you’ll be busy?” 

Jemma smiled, “It’s only 8 am until 6 pm everyday, 4 pm on Fridays, with an hour at noon for lunch. It should be a nice schedule.”

Daisy nodded and took a drink of her soda, “Yeah, it sure sounds like it!” 

Jemma finished her meal and placed her fork on her plate. “Do you like Doctor Who?” 

Daisy shrugged, “I’ve never seen it.”

Jemma’s eyes expanded in her head, “What? Oh, you Americans, we’re going to have to fix that!”

Daisy laughed, “Oh please do. Want to go back and watch it while we unpack?” 

Jemma nodded and stood to return, smiling. Neither girl felt so nervous about being roommates anymore.

 

  1. **Storm**



It didn't take long for the Daisy and Jemma  to form an easy friendship. They would meet for lunch two to three ones a week, meetup for dinner each night, and help each other with classwork and watched Doctor Who in the evenings.

The rain pounded on the windows, making Jemma feel like she was right back home in England. She snuggled up in her cozy sweater with her mug of tea, and reclined on her bed with her tablet, fully intending on doing some major revisions on to her most recent paper. Dr. Hall had said it was quite good, but she knew some tweaks that could make it even better, and she wanted to get it done before Daisy returned from her shower for Doctor Who time. Jemma figured that she could get a few paragraphs proofed before Daisy returned. 

She had gotten through a paragraph before the thunder started to roll, and through another half before the door to the dorm room flung open with a loud bang, startling Jemma and causing her to look up from the report as a blur impacted her bed. It took her a moment to recognize the blur as her roommate, curled into a fetal position with her head against the side of her ribs. 

“Whoa, hey Daisy are you alright?” Jemma murmured to the quivering lump that had pulled up against her in bed. Daisy shook her head, her breath was coming in ragged gasps. Jemma put her tablet down and put her hand on her roommate’s shaking back. “Daisy, what’s wrong?”

Daisy gasped in another breath, “Storm!” She managed to choke out. Jemma rolled to her side, realizing what was happening. Jemma situated herself facing her roommate and pulled Daisy tight against her chest and pressed her head  over her heart, allowing Daisy to fist her hands into the back of Jemma’s sweater. 

“Hey, I need you to breathe for me, Daisy. Nice deep breaths, as deep as you can. Just listen to my breathing and try to copy it, okay?” Jemma murmured. Daisy took in another shallow gasp of air and tried to even out her breathing. Jemma rubbed soothing circles on Daisy’s back and exaggerated her breathing to help Daisy ground herself. Jemma continued to help her friend breathe as Daisy began to take slower and deeper breaths. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually, Daisy’s breathing was evened out and her grip on the back of her sweater eventually loosened. “Hey there,” Jemma murmured as Daisy’s head fell back from her chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Daisy muttered as she tried to pull away from Jemma. 

Jemma pulled her arms around her friend tighter, “Shhh. Don't struggle. Just give into the snuggle,” She giggled. Daisy smiled and relaxed into Jemma. She still wasn’t sure what had driven her to fly into Jemma like that, but she wasn’t sure that she regretted it. Jemma knew what to do. “What happened, Dais?” Jemma asked, running her fingers through Daisy’s damp hair. “Does this happened to you a lot?”

Daisy shook her head, “No, sometimes when I’m in a new place, and the thunder was really loud in the bathroom.” 

“Not a fan of storms?” Jemma asked. Daisy jumped slightly when another roll of thunder echoed through the room.

“Not at all. I don’t know what it is either. I just go blank when they start,” Daisy grimaced, embarrassment showing on her features. 

Jemma smoothed her hair down, “That’s alright Daisy, we all have something that makes us react like that.”

Daisy shrugged, “Do you?”

Jemma sighed. “Yes. Driving in America. It’s the wrong side of the bloody road!” She joked. It worked, and Daisy laughed. Her entire body seemed to finally relax against Jemma.

“I'm tired, Jemma,” Daisy sighed.

Jemma nodded, “I bet you are. Anxiety attacks always take a lot of energy out of me. Want me to tuck you into bed or something?”

“That would be really nice, actually,” Daisy responded softly. She pulled away from Jemma and sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped and head dropped down. “I have to go get my shower caddy, I left it in the bathroom,” Daisy murmured. 

“I’ll get it for you, Daisy,” Jemma offered. “It’s the blue water resistant cloth one right?” Daisy nodded once.

“Alright, let’s get you tucked in and I’ll go grab it for you!” Daisy nodded once more and let Jemma help her move to her bed. She pulled back Daisy’s blankets to tuck her in. Daisy wordlessly slipped into her bed and cracked a smile when Jemma tucked the blankets around her. “There we go, Daisy. All tucked in and safe. The thunder can’t get you here!”

“Thank you, Jemma. Really, thank you,” Daisy muttered softly. She pulled her headphones from the pocket of her pajama pants and inserted them in her ears. She snuggled down into her blankets and Jemma placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

“Any time, Daisy,” Jemma murmured. She stepped away from Daisy’s bed and dimmed the lights as she slipped out the door to retrieve Daisy’s shower stuff. 

Daisy watched her go with a smile, and a warm feeling of affection in her stomach.

  


  1. **Homecoming Festival**



The morning of Jemma’s 19th birthday began with Daisy trying to quietly close the door to the dorm room, the sound of a lighter, and a soft “Jemma!” Right next to Jemma’s ear. The door had startled Jemma awake, but the sound of Daisy’s voice brought her to full awareness. Jemma’s eyes snapped open to see Daisy, a shit-eating grin plastered across her face, standing over her with Jemma’s favorite donut with a lit candle lighting up the darkness of the room. “Happy birthday Jemma!”

Jemma smiled as she sat up in bed.“Did you go out and get this for me this morning?” She asked as she reached for the donut.

Daisy nodded, but pulled the donut away from Jemma’s hands. “Yes, I got up at 8 am to go get you a fresh donut. But you have to blow the candle out and make a wish to get it!”

Jemma laughed. She closed her eyes and humored Daisy, blowing out the candle on the donut. “Can I have the donut now?” She asked sweetly.

Daisy grinned and handed her friend the donut. “I let you sleep in this morning too, it's almost 10.” Jemma took a large bite of the pastry

. “Oh! What time are we meeting Trip at the homecoming festival?” She asked, setting the donut beside her on bed to crawl out. 

Daisy shook her head, “I told him we’d call him when we were ready. He totally understood, I don't think there’s many Saturdays that he gets to sleep in like he did today.” Daisy moved to the other side of the room to set down her bag.

“Are you sure you want to go to the homecoming festival for your birthday, Jemma?” Daisy asked, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

“Yes!” Jemma replied excitedly. “I've never been to any kind of American festival. My advisor said that there would be plenty of festival food, live music, and overall merriment. and I've heard quite a bit about the deep fried food.”

Daisy laughed, “Oh yeah, there's going to be lots of fried food there!” 

Jemma nodded, “then it sounds like a good birthday celebration to me.”

Daisy laughed, amused at her friend’s enthusiasm. “Okay, I’ll call Trip to meet us there?” She replied, referring to her friend from one of her computer science classes. He was older, and often supplied them with alcohol on weekends (but not on weekdays, it was a rule for Jemma, and Jemma certainly loved following her rules.)

“Okay, tell him to meet us at the quad? I think that's where the food is. I just have to find my wallet and I’m ready to go!”

Jemma wasn't able to find her wallet in the dorm. “I must have left it in the lab last night. That’s the last place that I remember seeing it!” She said to Daisy, who was flat on the ground trying to see behind Jemma’s bed.

“Oh okay,” Daisy replied, backing out of the small area. “I've got some cash, I can cover you today!” She added. Jemma begrudgingly agreed, shrugging her shoulders. 

*

Daisy practically skipped her way across the campus, all of her excess energy brimming over the top in excitement. Jemma laughed at her antics of climbing and balancing on the edges of planters as they walked, while Jemma stayed securely on the walking paths.

“Daisy! Jemma!” 

Daisy started and nearly lost he balance in her haste to wave as Trip’s voice made their way over to them from the path leading to his dorm building.

Jemma reached forward to steady Daisy, grabbing her arm. “Honestly, Daisy! You’re going to hurt yourself if you aren’t careful!” She cried.  

Daisy shrugged and hopped down from the ledge. “Haven’t died yet!” She chirped. Trip had reached them by that point, and he shook his head at the small squabble between his two friends.

“Girl, I’m surprised you haven’t fall on your face by now!” Trip chuckled, slapping Daisy on the back affectionately.

“Don’t worry, she has,” Jemma muttered darkly. Trip laughed out loud.

“Enough of my clumsy moments, let’s go get some food!” Daisy interrupted. She pointed animatedly towards the nearby cluster of food vendor stands.  “I’m going to deep-throat like 4 of those chocolate covered cheesecakes on a stick!”

Trip chuckled, low in his chest. “Girl, I’m going to just eat them normally.”

Jemma didn’t move when Trip and Daisy went to move towards the bulk of the festival. “I’m going to run over to the science building to get my wallet from my lab, will you guys be here?” Jemma asked Trip and Daisy.

Daisy looked at Jemma, confused. “I thought I was cover you today?” She said, motioning towards her own wallet. Jemma shook her head.

“No, it’s really alright. We’re too close to the lab for me to not swing over and grab it. The shuttle is right there. It’s a 7 minute ride to the science building, 2 minutes in the building, and then a 7 minute ride back!”

Daisy shrugged, “Sure, we’ll get food and come back to this spot.” She looked around, spotting an empty picnic table nearby. “Trip and I will meet you at that table there!”

Jemma nodded, “Alrighty. I have my phone, I’ll call or text you if I need anything!” Daisy waved at Jemma as she walked away towards the shuttle stop.

Nearly half and hot later, after Daisy and Trip had finished their greasy fair food, Jemma was still not back, and Daisy was getting worried. Daisy pulled her phone from her jeans pocket to check to see if Jemma had called or texted, and saw a fairly recent notification for a text from Jemma. _Hey Daisy, can you give me a call ASAP? I seem to need to go to the emergency room and I don’t want to go alone._

Daisy’s heart leapt in her chest, and she quickly pressed the call button for her friend. 

“That was fast!”

“Jemma! What happened? Are you okay? What do you need? Where are you?“ Daisy said in a rush, her words blurred together as she stood up from the picnic table and pushed a finger into her uncovered ear.

“Relax Daisy, I’m alright. I just had a little accident near the science building. I fell off a curb and had a misfortunate run in with a broken glass bottle,” Jemma sounded much more calm and composed than Daisy felt at that moment.

Daisy waved to Trip to follow her and started walking at a brisk pace toward the shuttle stop.  “Where are you at, Jem?” Daisy asked, trying to move quickly, but not over tax herself or lose a very confused Trip in the crowd.

“I'm at the medical tent currently. Bobbi, my lab mate, is helping me apply pressure to the wound,” Jemma’s voice wavered a little over the phone. She could hear another female voice talking in the background.

“Okay, how bad is it? Like ‘call the squad I’m bleeding out’ bad or ‘well I should probably wander over to the emergency room’ bad?” Daisy asked, trying to bring a little humor into the situation.

“Call the squad? I don’t think that we need to call all of our friends to the medical tent to take me to the emergency room, Daisy…”

“No I mean an ambulance!” “Daisy could hear someone laughing on the other end of the line, as well as Jemma scolding them. In any other situation, Daisy would have joined in the laughter, but she was too nervous now, nervous that her friend was hurt worse than she was letting on. Daisy walked up to the shuttle stop that would get her across campus to the science building. “Jemma, I’m getting on the shuttle now. We’ll be there in 7 minutes!”

“See you soon!” Daisy replied, and ended the call. She climbed onto the shuttle and flashed her ID, sitting down in a seat near the door. She settled her bag in her lap and tried to calm the shaking in her hands. She took a few deep, calming breaths, like Dr. Garner had taught her to do so many years ago, and looked out the window across from her.

Trip sat in the seat next to her as the shuttle started to move. “What’s going on, girl?” He asked. 

“Oh, sorry Trip! Jemma fell on a bottle and thinks she might need stitches.” She pushed her hair back nervously, “You can go back to the festival if you want. Her and I will catch the city bus to the emergency room and be back later.” 

Trip sucked in a breath, “Damn. How about I get off at the parking lot and meet you at the science building to take her to the ER?”

Daisy nodded, surprised at Trip’s offer. “I don't expect you to do that!” 

Trip laughed, “Girl, if you expect me to leave you and Jemma to experience the city bus while she’s bleeding, you're crazy! Besides, you're my friends, I'll take you two on over and we can be back sooner. By the time you take the bus over there, get her some stitches, and get back, the fun will be over!”

Daisy shrugged. “Okay, that sounds like a better plan than mine anyway.”

Trip nodded and pulled the signal for the driver to stop. “It's settled then, I'll meet you at the science building in a few minutes?”

“Sounds good! Thank you Trip!”

He smiled, lighting up his face. “Anytime, girl.” Trip stepped off the bus as it rolled to a stop.

The bus started back up and Daisy watched Trip take off towards the parking lot at a jog. She smiled, thinking about the fact that she had a couple of million dollar friends.

The bus pulled up to the science stop and Daisy scrambled to get off of the bus. She said a rushed “Thank you!” to the driver and looked around for the medical tent. She could see the tip of it through the trees down the hill. 

Daisy skidded down the hill and into the entrance to the white medical pop up tent.

“Oh, hello, Daisy!” Jemma quipped pleasantly. She was sitting in a folding chair with a (rather pretty) blonde woman holding pressure on her right forearm up above her head. 

“Hey, Jem. You ready to go?” Daisy smiled, her heart rate picking up a little in anxiety.

“Do you need me to drive you?” The blonde woman asked.

“No, it’s okay. Our friend Trip is going to drive us,” Daisy responded. “But thanks anyway, uh…

“Bobbi. I work in the lab with Jemma. I volunteered with public safety this year to work medical. I can do bandaids and give water bottles, but stitches are a little above me.” The blond woman, Bobbi, replied with a smile.   

Daisy nodded. “Nice to meet you, Bobbi.” She moved closer to Jemma to take over placing pressure on Jemma’s arm.

“Oh, Daisy I can do that now. It seems to have slowed enough that I can move now,” Jemma said, pulling her injured arm to her chest. She wrapped her fingers around her arm to place pressure on the gauze covering the gash. She winced as she stood. Daisy reached out a hand to steady Jemma.

“Trip is going to meet us at the road by the science building, you okay to walk that far?” Daisy asked.

Jemma nodded once, and Daisy wrapped her arm around her waist to help to her walk to Trip’s car.

“Thank you, Bobbi!” Jemma called as the two girls left the tent. 

“What am I going to do with you, Jemma?” Daisy mused out loud. 

Jemma shrugged. “Take me to the emergency room maybe?”

Daisy laughed, “Well of course, that’s a given. Oh, hey, there’s Trip, TRIP!” Jemma flinched away from Daisy as she yelled and waved her free arm to get Trip’s attention. He pulled his olive green sedan up to the curb and rolled down the driver’s window.

“Hey, I heard that you two need a ride?” He grinned. 

“Yes please!” Daisy opened the back door and slid all the way over, helping Jemma slide into the seat. 

Jemma grimaced as she settled into the seat. “Thank you for taking me, Trip. I’ll make it up to you somehow!” She murmured.

“Girl, it’s no big thing!” He responded, pulling the car back into traffic.

The car lapsed into silence until they pulled up into the parking lot of the emergency room.

Daisy went ahead and got Jemma signed in, trying not to exaggerate how badly her friend was injured. Trip brought Jemma into the waiting room and got her sitting in a hard plastic chair by the time Daisy returned to them.

“They said it should be about 5 minutes until they take you back,” She said. Settling in next to Jemma. Jemma laid her head on Daisy’s shoulder. “Do you want me to go in with you?” Jemma nodded wordlessly. 

“I’ll stay out here if that’s alright. I don’t do well with blood and gore,” Trip added. Jemma nodded again.

A nurse up front called Jemma’s name.

“That was fast!” Daisy murmured. She helped Jemma stand and move towards the triage counter. 

The nurses truly got Jemma back into the treatment area very quickly, taking her (elevated) pulse, temperature, and blood pressure to be sure she wasn’t going into shock. 

Daisy watched with interest as the nurse removed the dressing that Bobbi had placed on the wound in the medical tent, and cringed when she finally got a look at the wound. It was about 3 inches long, extending from the edge of her hand to about halfway up her arm to her elbow. It still seeped blood in the center. Jemma cringed and grabbed Daisy’s hand.

The nurse cleaned her up and stitched the wound, applying a clean dressing and giving Jemma and Daisy instructions on how to keep it clean and change the dressings. Daisy nodded enthusiastically to the nurse’s instructions. Jemma continued to stare into the space near her arm. 

“Are you hurting, dear? You’ve got some bruising in and around your arm as well as the gash.” The nurse asked Jemma. Jemma nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll talk to the doctor about getting you something for pain. It should be feeling better by tomorrow morning.” The nurse said sweetly. She patted Jemma’s arm and slipped out of the curtain.

“You doing okay, Jemma?” Daisy asked softly, squeezing her good hand. 

Jemma nodded, “Yeah. It just hurts a lot more than I thought it would.” 

Daisy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, they always tell you it stops hurting after the stitches, it always hurts for me too.” Jemma leaned over and laid her head on Daisy’s shoulder and the nurse reopened the curtain carrying a plastic cup and a glass of water.

“Well I got the doctor right away, and he had already written some tylenol-3 for you. It’s codeine with the tylenol. Have you had that before?” 

Jemma nodded, taking the pills and water.

“Okay good. This should keep you comfortable until tonight. Don’t be surprised if it makes you sleepy or loopy.” 

Daisy tried to hide her grin, knowing it was going to be a fun next few hours.

Later, after waiting a longer time for discharge than it took for Jemma to get her stitches in the first place, Daisy and Trip were finally able to take a very sleepy and cuddly Jemma back to the dorm. Trip helped Daisy bring Jemma up the stairs, and then Daisy tucked her into bed. 

“Thank you, Trip. You are the best, you know that?” Jemma murmured softly.

Trip smiled, “Hey, anything for you girl.” He turned toward Daisy, “Let me know if you guys need anything else.” 

“Thanks, Trip. I’ll text you later,” Daisy replied. She sat on the end of Jemma’s bed as Trip slipped out the door. 

Jemma opened one eye and looked at Daisy. “Is it weird to ask for cuddles? I don’t feel well.” 

Daisy smiled warmly, “It is never weird to ask for cuddles. Move over.” She helped Jemma scoot over and slipped in behind her. 

Jemma murmured in her sleep when Daisy slipped her arm over Jemma’s waist. “What was that?” Daisy asked.

“Can we watch Doctor Who?” She said, a little louder. 

“Of course. Hold on let me get my laptop,” Daisy replied, pulling away from the bed. She reached to grab her laptop from her desk and wiggled her way back beside Jemma. Jemma rolled over to lay against Daisy’s side and helped Daisy steady the laptop on her stomach.   

“Best. Birthday. Ever?” Daisy asked.

Jemma nodded in confirmation, “Best. Birthday. Ever.”  


  1. **Wine**



 

Jemma jumped slightly from her position on her bed when the door to the room opened, and Daisy entered the room holding her phone out in front of her face. She dropped her overloaded backpack onto her bed and leaned against the end of the bed. “Well, I’m back at my room now, Dad. I’ll call you tomorrow?” Daisy gave Jemma a little wave.

Jemma nodded and looked back at her biochemistry textbook, it wasn’t abnormal for Daisy to return to the dorm in the evening still conversing with her Dad. 

“I love you, Skye.” Jemma glanced her eyes up just in time to see Daisy visibly cringe at the use of the name. A look of annoyance covered her roommate’s face. Jemma quickly moved her eyes back to the words on the page in front of her.

  
“Love you, too, bye” Daisy pressed end on the call and flopped her body next to Jemma’s on the bed, face pushed into the soft fabric of Jemma’s favorite pillow. 

Jemma looked up from her book.  “You okay, Daisy?” She asked. Daisy shrugged, not picking her head up from the bed. “Do you want to talk about it?” Jemma asked Daisy softly, running her fingers through her friend’s hair. 

Daisy nodded and murmured into the comforter. “What was that?” Jemma asked with a giggle. Daisy sighed and rolled herself onto her back so that Jemma could hear her, her eyes unfocused on the ceiling. “Are you sure? It’s kind of a long story and I don't want to dump everything on you...” Daisy asked, hesitance in her voice. 

Jemma closed her book and set it aside, “Of course. It's what friends do! What’s bothering you?”

Daisy took a huge breath. “Phil isn’t my biological father. I spent most of my childhood in an orphanage or being bounced around between foster homes. Phil became my foster parent when I was a really feral and resistant 13 year old, even the nuns had given up on me.  Phil was the first foster home that fit. Phil is great, he was the first person that called me Skye, the name that I wanted to be called instead of the name that the nuns gave me. He's the only family that I've ever had. Like he’s the real deal. He put up with my teenage tantrums and defiance, he went to every IEP meeting and behavioral hearing and actually advocated for my education. He was the one that figured out that I have ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder and got me tested.  He was the one that got me to this really great councilor who helped me figure out how to deal with my emotions and actually be a contributing member of society. 

“And even after that, he kept going to parent teacher meetings, and helping me with my homework and taking me on vacations and making stupid dad jokes and doing things I had only dreamed of doing before. And then, when I thought life couldn't get any better, he gave me signed adoption papers and official name change forms for my 15th birthday. He helped me change my name from the shitty name the nuns gave me at the orphanage to Skye Coulson and holy shit was I a blubbering mess that birthday,” Daisy stopped to catch her breath and wiped the stray tears from her eyes. She turned her head toward Jemma and sighed again. 

Jemma reached out and smoothed down her friend’s hair in comfort. She wasn't sure what to say, or if she needed to just let Daisy vent out her frustration. The outburst of emotions from her friend didn’t surprise her, not after the roller coaster of the last few weeks with the work leading up to spring break. Daisy took another breath and continued her talking. “He supported me from the day I first walked through his front door. I was so lost, and he found me, and helped me find myself. I would probably be living in a van down by the river if he hadn’t pushed me and advocated for me like he did. 

“But me, being an impulsive and curious teenager, wanted to find out what happened to my birth parents. I had always wanted to know why they didn’t want me, why I was dropped off at an orphanage to never be thought of again. And Phil helped me. He didn’t squash my curiosity like everyone else did, he just helped me. 

“He found the original police report from when I the day I was dropped off at St. Agnes. He called in favors from his detective buddy and found the social worker that had dropped me off at the orphanage. That social worker told Phil where he had picked me up, from a crime scene where my mother was found dead, father nowhere in sight. I guess that a doctor had accidentally given my mother the wrong medication and it killed her. The police must have assumed she was a single mother or something, because CPS took me straight to the orphanage. I don’t know the details, Phil didn’t share them.”

Daisy laid her forearm over her eyes, blocking out the light. “I just know that I didn’t have a birth certificate yet, nor a social security number or anything. So I was just this unnamed, orphaned baby that got dropped at a catholic orphanage. They didn’t even know my birthday, but assumed that I was around 3 months old. The nuns named me, and picked a random date 3 months before for my birthday.”  
Daisy lapsed into silence, a blank look coming over her face. Jemma rubbed Daisy’s shoulder to break her out of her thoughts, “What about your biological dad? Did they find out about him?”

Daisy sighed and rolled over to prop herself on her elbow, “Yeah, Phil found my biological Father last November. His name is Cal Johnson. He’s, um, he’s in prison, for murdering the doctor that accidentally killed my mom. That's where we think he was the night that my mom died. He came home and just lost it.” Daisy pulled away from Jemma and sat on the edge of her bed. Jemma tried to control the sharp intake of breath as Daisy spoke. She scooted across her bed to sit next to Daisy, their knees touching.

Daisy affectionately knocked her knees against Jemma’s and continued her story. “Phil helped me write a letter to my father, you know, asking questions like when was I born, where was I born, etc. and Cal wrote back. That letter was how I found out my birthday was in July, instead of October, and that I was born in some province in China while Cal was there with doctors without borders or something. And they named me Daisy. My birth name was Daisy Johnson. It was so surreal knowing that.” Daisy wiped away a few tears from her cheek.

 “Cal asked me to come see him in prison. So Phil made some calls, and him and I drove upstate to see Cal  together on visitation. Phil came into the room with me, and I got to talk to Cal. He was, well he was something. He started out to be so kind, and so excited to see me. He talked to me about the day I was born, and how much he loved me, and how he would be a father to me when he got out of prison when I'm 26. Then I told him about my life, and how Phil had adopted me. And then he had this huge violent outburst about how I wasn't Phil’s daughter and had to be carted away. I haven't spoken to him or written to him since.” Daisy trailed off and stared into space, her eyes glassy and unfocused.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all this, Daisy.” Jemma said sadly, putting her hand on Daisy’s knee. She wasn’t sure what else to say, or how to process that her, arguably best, friend had unloaded on her.

Daisy chuckled darkly. “Well, what doesn't kill you gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms and a dark sense of humor…” Daisy trailed off with a halfhearted smile, and Jemma reached out and pulled Daisy tight against her chest, still unsure of what to say. Daisy leaned into the embrace broke the silence, “I mean, it got me my name, the one meant for me. Phil just has trouble remembering that my name is Daisy now, and it hurts. Especially after he was the only one to call me Skye at the beginning.” Daisy laid her head on Jemma’s shoulder and Jemma wrapped her arm around Daisy’s shoulders. The two women sat in silence for a few moments, until Daisy’s phone chimed with a text message.

“Can you see who that is for me?” Daisy asked softly. Jemma nodded and picked up the phone from the bed next to them.. She grinned as a picture lit up the screen. A $20 bill sat in an empty mason jar labeled ‘the Daisy jar’ in Daisy’s messy handwriting. _Sorry about the slip up!_ The text said. _It's been a little while since I've done that! Ice cream on me next time you come home! Xoxo Dad._ Jemma sniggered and handed Daisy the phone. “You'll like this.”

Daisy sniffed and took her phone from Jemma’s hand. She smiled and leaned her head into Jemma’s shoulder, “he’s never put a $20 in there before…” She sniffed and giggled slightly.

Jemma chuckled softly. “Okay, so even though it's Thursday, let's make a ‘no drinking on weeknights’ exception call Trip to bring us some wine. We can watch an episode of or two of Doctor Who and cuddle.”  

Daisy nodded against Jemma’s shoulder. “I would like that,” she murmured.  

Jemma pulled her phone from the bedside table and fired off a quick text to Trip. _Hey, bad night here at the bat cave. Could you possible run us over two bottles of wine? Preferably something white._ Trip fired a text back almost immediately. _You got it girl. Be there in 30._ Jemma set her phone on the bed beside her and smiled, “Trip will be here in half an hour with some wine.” Daisy lifted her head from Jemma’s shoulder and smiled.

“Okay, I’ll get my computer and PJs. We can fire up Netflix,” She declared.

“And PJs!” Jemma added excitedly.

“And PJs,” Daisy confirmed, smiling.

*

Trip knocked on the door half an hour later, causing both Daisy and Jemma to jump dramatically in their spots on Jemma’s bed. Daisy recovered first and broke into laughter, “Come in, Trip!” She called past the door.

Trip opened the door with a wide smile and a large paper bag from the nearby grocery store nestled in his arm, “Hey, ladies! I heard it was a rough night tonight?” He shut the door behind him and reached into the bag, crossing the room to give Daisy and Jemma a bottle each of wine. Jemma’s eyes bulged as she read the writing on the label of the overly large bottleS. 

“Trip, these bottles are huge!” Jemma cried, holding the 1.5 liter bottle of white wine.  “I thought you’d bring us the normal 750 milliliter variety! Not these behemoths!”

Trip grinned, “Only the best for my girls! Besides, they didn’t have the little ones in the cold section for some reason.” He chuckled again, “They must know they mostly service college students or something.” He ended with a suggestive wink.

Daisy had already cracked open the twist off top of the bottle of wine, and held the large bottle up to her mouth. She took a big swallow of wine, and gave Trip a thumbs up. “Tastes like cheap wine to me!” She giggled.

Jemma tutted in disappointment, “At least wait until I get you a cup, Daisy!” She set the second bottle of wine on the desk and opened the bottom drawer of her desk, pulling out two plastic cups.

Trip smiled as he folded up the paper bag that the bottles had been transported in. “Well, don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do, girls!” He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Daisy flipped him her middle finger at Trip and took another gulp of the wine.  

Jemma gave an exaggerated sigh and took the bottle of wine from Daisy’s hand. (“Hey! I was drinking that!”). She filled one of the plastic cups with the wine and returned it to Daisy.  Daisy then shrugged and took a drink from the cup. “Always prepared, right, Jem?"

An hour later, both bottles of wine had been consumed, Doctor Who was running forgotten on the laptop, and Daisy and Jemma could not stop the giggles that erupted from their mouths at just about everything.

Jemma picked up her phone and squinted her eyes against her wavering vision. “We should start thinking about bed,” she said slowly, “it's almost 11.”

Daisy nodded in agreement and sung her legs over the side of Jemma’s bed. She hopped down the short distance with a grunt, and stumbled forward a few steps into her own bed. She grabbed at the post of her bed and looked back toward Jemma, who was already snuggling her way down into her own blankets. 

“Can I just stay in bed with you tonight, Jemma?” Daisy asked softly, slurring her words sleepily.

Jemma smiled softly and lifted the edge of her blankets, “Of course. We can cuddle.” Daisy clumsily climbed her way into the bed and laid on her side, snuggling her face against Jemma’s chest. Jemma dropped the blanket on Daisy and slid her right arm up under Daisy’s head. Daisy snuggled up closer, placing her head on the front of Jemma’s shoulder.

“Hey Daisy?” Jemma whispered, a little loudly. “Hmm?” Daisy grunted. “What was the name the nuns gave you?”

“Fuck you, Jemma.” Daisy responded, rolling her face against Jemma’s neck.

Jemma laughed out loud and placed a kiss on Daisy’s forehead. “Good night, Daisy,” She said softly.

“‘Night,” Daisy muttered.

It might have been the alcohol, but Jemma couldn’t remember feeling more comfortable and safe in her entire life. She felt like she belonged with Daisy right then and there. Jemma drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

*

Jemma’s alarm went off the next morning far too early. Her head pounded right behind her eyes, and she groaned at the offending noise. She could still feel Daisy’s warmth curled against her chest, and found that she had turned towards her in the night, their legs entangled and Jemma’s hand tingling from where it had rested under her friend’s head.

Jemma reached with her tingling hand to snooze the alarm on her phone and Daisy stirred in her sleep. She took a deep breath and lifted her head from where she had cradled it on top of her arms. “Is it morning already?” She murmured sleepily.

Jemma groaned, “Let’s skip breakfast and get up in an hour?” She asked, adjusting the time for the alarm with one eye cracked.

Daisy snuggled back down into Jemma’s warmth, “I couldn’t agree more.”

Jemma snuggled down into her pillows and dozed off again.

Jemma was still feeling drunk when she went to her 9:00am class.

*

The onscreen Fitz could not contain his laughter. Tears streamed down his face and he bent out of the frame of the webcam.

He eventually got ahold of himself, much to Jemma’s dismay, and sat looking directly at the computer screen. “My little Jemma, involved in bad girl shenanigans, drinking on a school night, what next, turning in homework an hour late?” Fitz dissolved into laughter again and Jemma crossed her arms, regretting ever telling Fitz the story of the night before.

“So who did you snuggle with? I know how you are when you get drunk, Simmons,” Fitz bantered, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Jemma set her lips in a line. “Well it’s funny you say that,” She started, “Because I woke up snuggling with Daisy this morning. And went to class without breakfast." 

Fitz lost his composure all over again, but it didn’t take him as long to regain his composure. “So, you and Daisy…?”

Jemma started, uncrossing her arms and leaning forward on the table. “No, no! Daisy is my friend! Purely platonic! She needed comforting, Fitz, she gets cuddly when she’s been drinking too!” 

“Jemma, most platonic friends don’t really cuddle all night in bed with each other,” Fitz smirked. “I mean, you and I are an outlier in this data set, but I don’t know many friends that are purely platonic have the relationship that you have with Daisy.”

Jemma felt the blush creep up into her cheeks. “Oh, shut up Leopold,” She snapped, not able to stop the grin breaking out across her face.  

“Well, how do you feel about her, Jemma?” Fitz countered.

Jemma shrugged, “I guess I haven’t really thought about it.” She paused thinking over her next words, “It wouldn’t bother you right? Me being in love with a girl that is.” Jemma’s heartbeat sounds in her ears, and she watches the emotions go over Fitz’s face.

“Of course not, Jemma,” he responds immediately. “I’ve always wondered if you were questioning these things, especially with,” he trailed off for a moment and made a face, “Milton…”

Jemma laughed, “Yes, he was quite a trip, wan’t he?” 

Fitz nodded and chuckled, “My point is, Jemma, that I love you no matter who you love, or think you love. I’m here to support you.”

Jemma blushed again and smiled, “I guess I have some self reflection to do, right?”

Fitz nodded, leaning back in his chair and fidgeting with a pen. Silence lapsed between the two. 

“So how’s Ophelia?” Jemma blurted. The tips of Fitz’s ears turned pink, and he flexed the fingers on his left hand. Jemma giggled, “Oh, that good, huh?”

“We’re talking about you here, Jemma!” Fitz sputtered and Jemma laughed. 

“Still not so good with those feelings, Fitz?”

Fitz shook his head, “You are incorrigible, Jemma Simmons,” He muttered to her.   

Jemma smiled. “Well Daisy is back, and we’re probably going to get dinner soon. Talk to you later, Fitz?”

Fitz nodded, “Of course. I’ll talk to you later, Jemma!” The skype chat closed with a wave from Fitz as Daisy stepped into the door.

“Hey!” Daisy called as she stepped through the door, dropping her backpack on her desk chair and flopping over on her bed.

“Hey, Daisy! How were classes today?” Jemma responded, closing her laptop and spinning around in her chair. 

Daisy groaned from her face down position on the bed. She lifted up her head slightly, “They were fine, once the headache went away.” 

Jemma laughed. 

“Good talk with Fitz?” Daisy continued. 

Jemma nodded, “Yeah, I think he has a girlfriend that he doesn’t want to tell me about yet, but I know he’ll tell me eventually. Fitz isn’t one for keeping news from me. “

Daisy sat up and faced Jemma, her brow furrowed in thought. “How do you feel about that?” She asked.

Jemma shrugged, knowing what Daisy was asking her. “I’m happy for him, truly. He’s my best friend, my brother really, and I just want for him to be happy.” 

Daisy nodded, a slight look of apprehension coming over her face. Jemma knew what was coming next.  “So you don’t, uhh… have feelings for him?” 

Jemma laughed, a full bellied, out loud laugh. Daisy looked at her strangely, her brow furrowed in confusion, “What? What did I say?”

Jemma stopped for a moment, catching her breath and holding her head. “No, I don’t like Fitz like that, Daisy. I’ve known him too long, he’s my best friend, and nothing more.” 

Daisy blushed, “Oh, I, oh. You just seemed upset about something and, I don’t know. I thought that was it.”

Jemma smiled, “No, I’m just tired and still a little hungover. You aren’t the first to think that Fitz and I were a thing. You probably won’t be the last.” Jemma paused and looked over at Daisy, who was blushing a light pink, and gave her a small smile. “Are you hungry? Because I need some bacon and gatorade to counteract the last of this hangover.” 

Daisy nodded, and then furrowed her brow in thought,  “Wait, bacon?” 

Jemma laughed, “Yes, bacon! I read this incredible journal about-”

Daisy held up a hand to stop Jemma’s rant, “No, no, I believe you. I don’t think that I’ll understand your next paragraph of speech. Let’s just get some dinner?” 

Jemma laughed and nodded, picking up her key lanyard and motioned towards the door.  
  


  1. **Coming out**



 

As April rolled around and the semester started to wind down, Daisy found it increasingly more difficult to get out of bed early for daily breakfasts with Jemma. Late hours in the computer lab looking at different lines of code seemed stretched late into the early morning hours more days than not, and Daisy was not one that worked well on 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

The morning alarm went off at 6:30 am, as it always did, and Daisy groaned as it shocked her out of her sleep. Daisy heard Jemma moving around, getting ready for the day. Daisy must have dozed off again, because the next thing she knew, Jemma was shaking her awake with water bottle and medication in hand.

“I’m going to go take a quick shower, you gotta get up, Daisy,” Jemma said softly, sleep still clouding her voice.  Daisy groaned and took the bottle from Jemma, popping the pill in her mouth. Jemma smiled warmly and slipped away from her friend. “Make sure you get out of bed!”

Daisy laid flat on her back, slowly pushing her body to leave the warmth of her bed. She grumbled a little as she swung her feet to dangle over the ground. She was exhausted. The last few nights were most definitely catching up to her. She shook the tiredness out of her head and stood up to find some clean clothes.

 Daisy slowly moved around the room, the fatigue making her slightly dizzy. She pulled a, mostly, clean pair of jeans off of the floor near her closet and dropped her pajama shorts to change. She pulled her jeans on and stood in front of the closet door, making small noises of displeasure as she looked for a shirt. Her brain was moving at a snail’s pace.

The door handle rattled, the signal that Jemma was coming back into the room, and Daisy panicked for a split second, standing in clear view of the door in nothing but jeans and a bra, and she acted. Rather impulsively, she climbed forward and into the closet, slipping in between two handing flannels. 

The door opened and Jemma walked into the room, setting her shower caddy on her desk and looking around the room. “Daisy?” She asked the seemingly empty room.

 

“I’m in here!” Daisy called back, a giggle in her voice.

 

Jemma let out a loud sigh. “For goodness sakes, Daisy!” She cried. “We have to leave to go to class soon! What are you doing in there?”

 

“Finding a shirt!” Daisy called back.

 

“How are- never mind. Just find one from out here!”

 

“Never!” 

Jemma tapped her foot impatiently, glancing at her watch. “C’mon Daisy! If we leave for class now, we can swing by the commons for a giant muffin!” She called to her friend. “Please come out of the closet.”

Daisy grinned in the darkness of the closet, internally laughing at Jemma’s phrasing. What better time was going to present itself to finally come out to her friend? Daisy slid the door to the open, yelling, “I’M BISEXUAL!”

Jemma’s heart leapt into her chest, “What was that?”

Daisy poked her head out of the closet door, a grin plastered on her face. “You heard me!” Her face fell when she saw the strange look on Jemma’s face, her heart dropping into her stomach. She climbed her way out of the small closet, stumbling on the piled up Tupperware at the bottom. “Oh, that doesn't bother you does it?” 

Jemma shook her head, holding up her hands, “Oh goodness no! Of course not! You just caught me off guard is all.”

Daisy smiled at her best friend, “Okay. I’ve just been wanting to tell you, and this was the way that seemed most, I don’t know, appropriate?” 

Jemma chuckled  softly and crossed the room to pull Daisy into a hug. “I'm glad that you finally feel comfortable enough with me to tell me!”

Daisy leaned into the hug. “I've always felt comfortable enough with you, I just wasn't entirely sure myself until just recently,” She said softly. And it was true. It had taken a lot of soul searching, thinking, and getting slightly tipsy to admit it to herself. Daisy had only told Trip so far, who had taken it wonderfully and encouraged her to “go get the girl!”, whatever that meant.

Jemma pulled away from the hug. “C’mon, put a shirt on and I’ll buy you a ‘coming out’ muffin for breakfast so we aren’t late for class!”

Daisy laughed and reached back into her closet for a flannel shirt, her heart suddenly lighter. 

*

Daisy’s confession stayed on Jemma’s mind all week as she watched her best friend appear to feel so light and relaxed as she went about her week, even with the late nights and early mornings. Her close friend seemed to be walking on air wherever she went.

It made Jemma do some thinking and acknowledging some of the “I’ll worry about that later” moments that she had experienced during her life, mostly involving pretty girls.  

It was what made her agree to attend Thursday night trivia night at the bar with Bobbi and the rest of the crew from the lab. Bobbi had started passing Jemma drinks early in the night, keeping a close eye on her younger lab mate.

She was 3 beers in, and Jemma’s anxiety about everything seemed to be loosening, a goofy smile plastered on her face. She glanced over at Bobbi, beautiful, smart, funny Bobbi. The realization hit her like a speeding freight train. She had to tell Bobbi. Bobbi would know what to do. 

“Hey Bobbi?” Jemma asked, voice soft against the loud murmur of the bar.

“Yeah, what's up kiddo?” The blonde biochemist asked her younger friend.

“I think I’m,” she pushed, unsure of how to phrase it. Was she a lesbian? Was she bisexual? Jemma wasn't sure yet. “I like girls!” She blurted out in a way reminiscent of Daisy.

Bobbi blinked in surprise and put her hand on Jemma’s arm. “Is this you coming out?” Bobbi asked expectantly, a grin breaking out on her face. 

“Yeah, yeah I think it is!” Jemma responded, her confidence growing. This was how you were supposed to do it, right?

Bobbi smacked her hands down on the table, and the other members of the lab all looked up in surprise. “Hey everyone! Jemma has an announcement to make!” 

Jemma felt the blush rise up in her cheeks, “I'm gay!” Jemma wasn't sure what she was expecting, but whatever it was, she didn't expect all of her lab mates to cheer and lift their drinks to her. 

Lance Hunter, Bobbi’s on again off again boyfriend,  stood up and pointed at his friends at the table, “Shots? Shots!” He didn’t wait for anyone to reply, and quickly ran up to the bar. He returned quickly with a round of shots for the table and placed one in front of Jemma. He lifted his shot glass, “to Jemma, for finally realizing that she thinks women are bloody sexy!” He downed his shot and the table laughed, each drowning the shot of burning liqueur with a chorus of “To Jemma!”

Jemma thought that she saw two of her other lab mates begrudgingly pass Bobbi a few dollars. She’d worry about that later.

A few hours and a few too many shots later, Jemma stumbled through the dorm room door, alcohol thrumming through her veins. The room spun slightly to the right, and her stomach shifted uncomfortably. Jemma tried to move through the room quietly, to no avail. She tripped spectacularly over seemingly nothing, and stumbled haphazardly into the end of Daisy’s bed. Daisy lifted her head with a start. “Jem?” She murmured sleepily.

“Oh! Sorry Daisy! It’s just me.” 

Daisy pushed herself up to a sitting position. “Jemma, are you drunk?” She asked, exaggerating  the “k”.

“Me? Drunk? No, not at all. I’m just, I’m just really happy,” Jemma slurred. She leaned against the end of Daisy’s bed and shut the door, a little too loud. She jumped and stumbled back into the door, immediately dissolving into giggles. Daisy, now fully awake, threw back her blankets and hopped out of bed.

“Jemma!” Daisy stage whispered. She came to the end of the bed and pulled Jemma’s arm over her shoulder. “It’s a school night!” She helped the unsteady Jemma walk around the bed and hop up onto the bed.

Jemma giggled and pitched forward into Daisy’s chest. “Yeah, I'll hate myself in the morning, but it was fun at the time!” 

Daisy chuckled and pulled Jemma’s shoes off. “Well, I am going to wake you up bright and early here in about 6 hours and you can deal with it then. Is the alarm set?” 

Jemma nodded, and then groaned when the room spun again.

“Do you feel nauseous or anything?” 

Jemma shook her head a fraction, “Nauseated. Something nauseous makes you nauseated.” 

Daisy sighed, “Fine, are you nauseated?”

“No, not at all!”

“Okay, let's get you in bed?” Daisy asked, motioning towards Jemma’s bed. 

Jemma hung her head. “Can I just stay with you?” She asked hopefully.

Daisy sighed. “Of course,” she said. “But you're sleeping on the outside near the trash can, okay?” She let go of Jemma for a moment to pull their trash can to the edge of the bed. 

“Deal!”

“Throw up this way,” Daisy joked, pointing toward the can. She climbed back up into the bed, crawling over Jemma to settle back in her half of the bed. 

Jemma laid on her back next to Daisy, heart in her throat, she had to tell her right now, before she lost her nerve, or fell asleep. “Daisy?” 

“Hmm?” Daisy murmured, already half asleep again. 

“I'm gay, too.” Jemma sputtered out. 

“I know, Jem. Go to sleep, we’ll talk in the morning.” Jemma grinned, proud of herself. She snuggled her back close against Daisy’s chest, and placed her hand on top of Daisy’s over her waist and let sleep take her. 

  1. **The “Later” that was Promised**  



Daisy was always told that finals week was the hardest week of the semester, and while her first semester finals week was a stressful week, it was nothing compared to the week before her second semester finals. That week, Daisy had 3 coding projects for various classes, and her last calculus 2 exam before her finals week, which promised to be a much more calm and relaxed week than her current workload.

Daisy returned to the dorm Thursday night, exhaustion pulling on her features. All she could think about was the warm embrace of her bed (and possibly that of her room mate, if she was being honest with herself). She hadn’t had time to eat dinner that night, and she was positive that everything on campus was already closed down for the night.

Daisy flung the door to her room open, dropped her bag, climbed the end of her bed, and flopped into the covers with a clumsy “Omph!” She lifted her head back up for a moment, hoping to locate Jemma as their door had been unlocked, and was surprised to see an empty room. Daisy sat up in her bed and looked around for an indication of where Jemma had gotten to. Her keys were still present, her wallet was still present, and her shoes were still present. 

“She must have gone to the bathroom?” Daisy mused out loud. Daisy shrugged, and laughed at herself a little for talking to no one. She was exhausted. She flopped back on her bed with a deep sigh. She needed some rest. She lay there for a moment, listening for Jemma’s voice in the hall, knowing Jemma would return momentarily. As she started to enter a light doze, she could hear Jemma’s voice approaching in the hallway.

“Yes, Fitz. Yes! I promise I’ll talk with her! We’ve just both been so busy this week, Now i’m back at my room, and I have to-” Jemma swung open the door to the room and stopped in the middle of her sentence. “Oh, Hi Daisy!” She squeaked, quickly hitting the “end call” button on her skype app.

Daisy opened her eyes and glanced at her blushing room mate. “Hey,” She croaked lamely. “I’m tired.” 

“I bet you are, Daisy. You’ve had quite a week! I don’t think I’ve seen you for more than an a few hours this week.” Jemma countered softly. She hopped up onto Daisy’s bed and rubbed her hand on her leg in comfort. “Have you eaten dinner? I brought home some extras from the pizza dinner earlier, they’re in the fridge.”

Daisy grunted in acknowledgment. Her stomach was increasingly empty, but she was so tired.

“You wanna go to sleep?” Jemma asked softly. She rubbed Daisy’s back in slow, soothing circles. Daisy made a quiet noise content and nodded, pushing her face against her comforter.

“Yeah, I just have an exam tomorrow. And I’m done for the week.  One more thing and we can hang out. And do nothing,” Daisy murmured sleepily. 

Jemma continues her slow circles on Daisy’s back. “Hey, Daisy, before you go to sleep I wanted to talk to you about something,” Jemma started. Daisy made a soft hum of acknowledgement. “It’s about last week, when I came from the bar?” Daisy made a less coherent noise, only responding to the sound of Jemma’s voice. “Daisy?” Jemma asked, softer. Daisy responded with a soft snore, and Jemma had to cover her mouth with her free hand to stifle her giggle. She hadn’t realized how tired her friend was. 

Jemma stood from her  spot on the bed and gently pulled Daisy’s shoes off. Daisy barely stirred in her sleep. Jemma smiled and pulled one of the extra blankets from the end of Daisy’s bed to cover her up. Daisy murmured in her sleep and Jemma smiled, thinking about how adorable Daisy was in her sleep. Jemma switched off the lights to the room, and snuggled into her own bed for the night. It was then, in that very moment as Jemma dozed off into sleep for the night, that Jemma could finally admit to herself that the affection that she felt for Daisy was something more than just friendship. 

* 

Daisy woke up the next morning before Jemma did, curled up in her throw blanket  on top of her comforter. The sun just starting to rise up over the horizon and shine into their window. Her head felt clearer, and the sluggishness in her arms and legs seemed to have been completely cured by a good night sleep. She was still in her clothes from the day before, she realized, and she vaguely remembered coming into the room and collapsing on the bed the night before.

Daisy climbed out of bed, stretching quietly and yawning. It wasn’t often that she woke up this early with this much energy. She glanced around the room, smiling at her roommate sleeping soundly. Daisy didn’t have the heart to wake her before her alarm went off, and Daisy really wanted to get a little more studying in before her exam at 8. She quickly changed her clothes into something (remotely) clean, picked up her bag, and slipped out the door.

Jemma woke to her alarm half an hour later, finding an empty room and a text from Daisy telling her that she would see her at dinner, and tonight is “Reserved for snuggles and Doctor Who”. Jemma smiled and got herself ready for the day, trying to contain her excitement. 

*

Dinner was quiet, both girls stewing over their own thoughts. Jemma set her silverware down first, looking up at Daisy. “You ready to head back and have a Doctor Who and talk night?”

Daisy nodded, putting her silverware in her glass. “Sounds like a perfect night to me. My brain is mush.” 

Jemma smiled and loaded the dirty dished onto the tray to return to the dish washing station. 

Daisy lagged behind her and pocketed a few fruits for snacking on during the evening, zoning out on the way through the door. Her emotions were bubbling to the surface, a product of overtiredness and brain drain from the week behind her. 

On the way out of the building, Daisy decided that her feelings couldn’t wait anymore. “Hey Jemma, I have to tell you something,” She called to her friend.

Jemma stopped and turned around, “What’s up, Daisy?” 

Daisy stopped and fumbled with her words, playing with the strings of her sweatshirt.

“Oh, fuck it,” Daisy murmured, and she closed the few steps of space between her and Jemma and crashed her lips into Jemma’s.

Jemma tensed at Daisy’s touch, unsure of how to process what was happening. What was happening? Was she dreaming? This had to be a dream.

Daisy pulled back when she felt her friend tense, she searched Jemma’s face for an explanation, for _anything_. A blush rose into her cheeks and she dropped her hands. “Oh, oh. Oh God. I’m sorry,” she muttered.

Jemma blinked a few times in shock, putting her hand to her lips, trying to get her brain to catch up with her.

Daisy didn’t give her the chance, she turned on her heel and nearly ran from where she and Jemma stood at the door.

“Daisy! Wait!” Jemma called after her, but Daisy had already disappeared around the corner, leaving Jemma standing in shock outside of the dining hall.

* 

Jemma didn’t know where else to go, or what else to do, so she went back to the dorm, hoping that Daisy was already back. 

Jemma returned to an empty dorm. She flopped down on her bed with an exaggerated sigh and tried to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t help shaking the feeling that she had completely screwed everything up. 

Jemma pulled out her phone and checked to see if Daisy had replied to her texts, or even if Trip had replied. 

The door swung open and Daisy slipped in silently. 

Jemma sat up and looked her friend up and down. It was obvious that Daisy had been crying. “Hey,” Jemma said softly. 

“Hey,” Daisy muttered back. She looked at the floor and shut the door behind her.

Jemma stood up as Daisy adjusted her beanie. “You alright, Daisy?” 

Daisy shrugged, “I guess.” She finally looked up and looked Jemma in the eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jemma. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking and-”

Jemma shook her head and held up her hands. “No! No no! Daisy it’s okay! Really.”

Daisy shook her head violently, “No, it’s not okay. I read this whole thing wrong and got too excited with finishing the semester, and just _acted_ without thinking and screwed this whole thing up.” She angrily wiped a tear away from her cheek.

Jemma stepped forward and grabbed at Daisy’s hands. “Hey,” she started, “You didn’t screw anything up, you didn’t read this wrong. I’m sorry I reacted that way, you just got me so off guard and- Oh bloody hell. I’m going to kiss you if that’s okay,” Jemma asked, putting her hand on the back of Daisy’s neck.

Daisy looked up in shock, she nodded a fraction and Jemma closed the space between them and pressed her lips to Daisy’s. There was no tension in either girl, and Jemma brought her hands up to frame Daisy’s face, Daisy placing her hands on Jemma’s hips. 

Daisy pulled back from the kiss and looked at Jemma’s face, Jemma’s hands framing Daisy’s face still. Jemma chuckled, “It seems like your autonomic nervous system is working in overtime. I can feel your heart pounding.” 

Jemma leaned her head forward to rest her forehead against Daisy’s. “Actually, all my systems are nervous.”

Jemma laughed softly, “Well, let me help with that.” She murmured, and she pressed her lips against Daisy’s again.

*

Telling Fitz was easy. Telling their parents was easy (Phil was ecstatic that Daisy had found someone, Jemma’s parents were surprised that she found someone her own age!). Telling everyone at the lab was easy. 

Telling Trip was probably the easiest out of everyone, because all Daisy and Jemma had to do was smile at him and he _knew_.

Daisy grinned and reached over to hold Jemma’s hand, looking up at Trip to confess everything, and he had just laughed.

“You think I wouldn’t know, after all of the bad girl shenanigans that you two have gotten into? Honestly, Daisy! I called this MONTHS ago!” Trip said, laughing. 

“You what now?” Daisy countered.

Trip laughed even harder, catching the confused looks on both of their faces. “The night I brought you two wine? Well I came back in the morning to see if you were still alive and you had left your door unlocked, and you were both all snuggled together in that twin sized bed.... Girl, it’s been obvious since I first started hanging out with you two!” He punctuated his last sentence with a finger.

Jemma blushed, and Daisy laughed.

“How did everyone know before _we_ did!?”

 


End file.
